Summer is the perfect time to start planning to apply to colleges. Even though some applications won’t be available until July or August, there are plenty of things that you can do to get a head start. For example, you can start building a list of colleges that you’re going to apply to, you can start asking some of your teachers for letters of recommendation, you can start brainstorming for your college essay, you can start writing your college essay, you can visit colleges that you’re interested in, you can start putting your portfolio together if you’re applying to art school, and you can start filling out your profile if your applying for Division 1, 2, or 3 college athletics. Do as much as you can with the extra free time that you have over the summer so that you can make the application process a lot smoother in the fall.